US measles cases pass 2,000 this year as outbreak nears worst in decades

The US recorded 2,030 measles cases on 4 June, ‘though experts believe the true number is about three times higher.’ Photograph: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

The US has recorded more than 2,000 confirmed measles cases so far this year – near the total of 2,228 recorded in all of 2025, and on track to become the worst year for measles in decades as states struggle with the loss of federal funding for public health.

The virus continues to spread in unvaccinated and under-vaccinated communities, including among babies too young to be vaccinated, and it reveals the depths of the twin crises of misinformation and public health in the US.